And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel

 

 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. 

Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

 

- Luke 22:14–30 

 

Yesterday we read that the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.   Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.  Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

 

 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  My study bible comments that Christ has a fervent desire for this Passover because this particular meal will impart the mysteries of the new covenant to His followers.  Moreover, this event will inaugurate the great deliverance of humanity from sin through the power of the Cross. 

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  This first cup is a conclusion of the Old Testament Passover meal which Christ eats with His disciples in order to fulfill the Law.  Until the kingdom of God comes means until Christ's Resurrection, my study bible explains.  At that time, He will again eat and drink with His disciples (Luke 24:43, Acts 10:41).  

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."  Gave thanks has as its root the Greek word eucharist/ευχαριστεω, which my study bible says immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Written before the end of the first century, the Didache mentions the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  Additionally, in the year AD 150, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."   Jesus also declares:  "This is My body."   My study bible notes that the Orthodox Church has always accepted these words as true; as St. Justin puts it, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  

"But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.    My study bible remarks that Judas too is invited to this table for the mystical supper, and that in doing so Jesus is seeking by all means to save him.  His unworthy participation, it says, leads to his utter destruction (see 1 Corinthians 11:27-30; compare to Esther 7).  This is pertinent to considerations of what it means to partake of the Eucharist and the consequences possible for those who are spiritually unaware or unprepared.

Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  The disciples begin at this juncture a small-minded dispute, unworthy of them and out of place here in the context of the mysteries which Christ has just revealed.  My study bible comments that He corrects them by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom they consider an abomination, and contrasting them to Himself, who serves us even though He is Lord of all.  

 

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."   St. Ambrose of Milan is quoted by my study bible here:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."   My study bible adds that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, it says, the authority of judgment was already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23). 

I'm intrigued by the commentary on the part of St. Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."   I wonder how many of us could benefit from this wisdom.  It's quite amazing how often we find ourselves measuring everything by deeds, and along with that way of thinking goes the measurement that proclaims whether or not someone is "deserving."  But Christ works with grace, and God's love is poured out in ways that aren't measured in such a way.  In chapter 6, Jesus declares, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).  The generosity of the hand of God, of grace and mercy, is linked to what St. Ambrose is saying.  How do we measure?  Must we always think in terms of "deserving" rather than gifts?  I think this is a way that children think, as they compete for what they want with siblings.  At any rate, it is a type of immature thinking.  It is important, also, that St. Ambrose writes such commentary so closely connected with the institution of the Eucharist.  As was once explained to me by a patient Bishop I was questioning, nobody "deserves" the Eucharist.  It's not a question of earning it by good deeds, or making certain qualifications.  This is a type of legalistic thinking that doesn't belong with grace.  The Eucharist -- as is implied by its name meaning "giving thanks" -- is a pure gift.  It is grace.  It is given to us as something irredeemably greater than anything we could earn or "pay" for with our good qualities, good deeds, or favors to God.  The Eucharist is the promise of life in Christ.  It is not simply a promise of eternal life (however we want to think of that), but a promise of life in abundance essentially much greater than we can think of or imagine.  In every dimension, it is a gift of pure grace and unattainable by our good deeds or acts.  This is the way God's mercy works, the way God's judgment works, exactly in tune with the words here by St. Ambrose.  And we would do well to consider how we, also, can be "like God" and think of how our gifts can also be given without measure in the sense of God's good judgment.  That is, how often is our own love or mercy given in ways that don't have to be paid for or, in fact, can't be earned?  When we act out of love, such a divine thing like grace happens.  I'm not suggesting anyone go out and bankrupt themselves with lavish gifts, nor expend their good energies on people who are entirely selfish and unappreciative.  What I am suggesting is that if we follow the lead of Christ, we will find ourselves giving where payback or a measure-for-measure payment is not possible.  Christ teaches us two great commandments that sum up all the Law and the Prophets.  He said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (see Matthew 22:36-40).  This is a prescription for living life out of the love of God; then the abundance we might share of love for others -- whether that might be a kind word, a prayer, a true warmth of the heart, assuring another of their worth and meaning to you, or any other gift -- becomes a way to share God's love with others.  And it is there -- God's love -- that we find what is inexhaustible and abundant, and ready to continually give itself through us.  It is truly amazing to understand how prayer recharges our batteries so that we find energy to continue to care for others when we're exhausted, even directing us in ways we might find revealing.  It is not a question of payment or measure or deserving:  it's a question of living out of this participation in God's love.  We see it on display in Christ:  He knows what Judas is going to do and what's in Judas' heart, and yet He is still trying by every means to save Judas in allowing him also to partake of the Eucharist and offering him the gift of His love and of Himself.  The Kingdom which Christ proclaims He bestows upon the apostles has nothing to do with what they have earned in a materialistic mindset or utilitarian sense of looking at and judging human beings.  It's quite revealing that Jesus tells them that "you are those who have continued with Me in My trials."  The Kingdom is theirs because of their faith and their potential for faith, a mysterious and unknowable reality which is revealed through time and personal struggle and sacrifice for what one ultimately loves.  But He knows who they are and invests everything in them through the grace that shows His love.  We are capable of doing the same, but with His help and grace.  For with God, all things are possible.